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Marketing and University Communication UW-Green Bay, CL 815 2420 Nicolet Drive Green Bay, WI 54311-7001 (920) 465-2626 E-mail: hildebrs@uwgb.edu Last update: 10/2/07 |
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In
the News Archive - Year:
December 5, 2001 Investment in education pays off Guest column By Bruce Shepard
Such questions filled the air, and also the head of one of Wisconsin's newest and proudest citizens. I will summarize some of the more important things I heard and, perhaps, one or two of the more important things I did not hear.
The bad news: While all the hoopla centers on today's economic downturn, there are underlying long-term trends that, if left unchecked, will pose a major problem for the economic well-being of our state even after the current recession recedes. One statistic captures the problem: Looking over decades of data, personal incomes for the people of Wisconsin are dropping ever further below the national averages.
The not-so-bad news: The long-term trends have not yet reached crisis proportions. We can avoid the crisis if we act, today, with common purpose and with common sense.
The good news: Investments in our future can make a difference. We heard about the payoffs of investing in "high tech," and science and mathematics. There was frequent mention of stimulating venture capital investments. And, most rewarding from my perspective, all seemed to understand the need to turn the "brain drain" — the loss of well-educated workers to other states — into the "brain gain" through investing in higher education.
There were some matters I did not hear discussed. Investing in technology does benefit all society. We should continue to do so. However, it's an international market, and the payoffs of Wisconsin's investments will go to the enterprises that can most effectively exploit them, be those enterprises in Wisconsin or elsewhere. Knowledge, discoveries, and patents do not need exit visas to leave the state.
In contrast, the graduates of the University of Wisconsin System stay in Wisconsin. At UW-Green Bay, 93 percent of our most recent graduates stayed in Wisconsin.
At UW-Green Bay, we are turning away fully qualified applicants because of enrollment limits. Invest in high tech, for sure. But, when it comes to raising the standard of living in Wisconsin, wouldn't we get a higher rate of return on our precious state dollars by expanding access to higher education?
Another matter I did not hear discussed. "High tech" is the buzzword, but can anyone name an industry or profession today that does not have a critical high-tech component?
Software engineers are critical, but don't we even more need the innovative, creative, and broadly trained critical thinkers who know the relevant applications through real-world problem solving? These are the people who can direct the efforts of the engineers along creative and profitable paths. Doesn't the "dot-com" bust illustrate what happens when the tools and the toolmakers, alone, are in the driver's seat?
How do we prepare people for the driver's seat? Preparing college students for the future means preparing them for jobs that do not yet exist. That cannot be done if all we are doing is training users in current technologies. We must provide practical, problem-focused education that recognizes that the issues the world will throw at us — issues we do not even know about today — do not respect traditional disciplinary boundaries.
Those are our university's roots. This is also our continuing commitment through learning innovations now under development on our campus. Because of the special approach we take at UW-Green Bay, I am more convinced than ever that we will be able to help our region and Wisconsin surmount the long-term, disturbing economic trends.
Those who organized the economic summit should be highly commended for assuring what will be a stimulating dialogue. That dialogue will lead to a strategic plan for the state. The UW System will play a key role in developing and carrying out the plan. Stay tuned and get involved. Details of the summit can be found at: www.wisconsin.edu/summit/ .
(Bruce Shepard is chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. He can be contacted by phone at (920) 465-2207 or e-mail at shepardb@uwgb.edu.)
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